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Still not ready to call it a review yet but here we go, so on my first listen this album actually ranked pretty low for me. Even at the time though I still loved the sounds I heard it's just overall my initial impressions were based off Mansons overall performance moreso than the songs or any fault on Tylers part. So anyways, when I started listening to it more the songs as a whole grew on me considerably more and before you know it I actually end up loving the hell out of it. I like pretty much all the songs except Revelation 12. I like the song live but the studio of the song just sounds flat to me. It sounds way more anthemic and heavy live. So from here I'm just gonna say that as a cohesive album theme/sound I don't think Manson has been this good since TGAOG or even EMDM. This literally has the thickest atmosphere since those days, so I'm really digging the album on those fronts. As of now I totally will list this album among the many favorites of his so he did me justice and that is fine with me.

I agree that Revelation #12 is a bit of a let down compared to the live one. It seems slowed down and tamer, though it's a good opener. I love the whole album, it's cohesive despite the varied tempos and atmosphere, something that was so lacking in THEOL or BV. It's a good mix of PE and earlier eras, like the bass on Saturnalia reminds me of POAAF for some reason, Jesus Crisis could easily replace I want to Disappear or Newmodel on MA, Threats of Romance has some THEOL and EMDM in its dna, We know where you live is HWish, etc. Told like this, it sounds like it's gonna be all over the place, but oddly it's not. On the plus side, it's more upbeat and/or aggressive than PE. On the minus side, my main complaint is that it's too short to compete against the epicness of the Triptych... I've burnt a CD with HUD's ten songs mixed with the best 6 on PE, worked a bit on the tracklist, and there you have an awesome 16-song epic cohesive album! Also, I think the last three songs are too similar in terms of tempo, atmosphere and lyrical content and are a bit of an anticlimax, even if none of them are bad per se...I also lack an acoustic song if I was to be picky, like maybe Threats of Romance, just keep the hard parts for the end but start acoustic for a grand crescendo, that would have been a better mixing choice imho, what do you think? Anyway, I am anxious to get my vinyl tomorrow and be able to listen to it properly on my hifi set up rather than the mp3s on headphones. Overall a great release, well worth the wait, I'd give it an 8/10.

Heaven Upside Down is a bit of a mixed bag for me. Was the 7 month delay worth it? From what I know, probably, cause 2/3 songs he added in are some of my favorites. I think one half of the album is mostly mediocre and the other half is absolutely fantastic. However, I feel when it finally starts picking back up, it's over. While I thought The Pale Emperor was the perfect length, this is definitely too short. The usual Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals comparisons are made by Manson, but that's ludicrous. This is more like EAT ME, DRINK ME and The High End of Low with a dash of The Pale Emperor than those two. I was very surprised to see one review saying they thought the record peaked with SAY10, cause it's the opposite for me. Let's go through it song by song shall we.

Revelation #12 (1/5): Holy hell, what a letdown this was. I was expecting something monstrous and ferocious, and...well it missed the mark to say the least. The live version was the latter, but this was so tame and lacked any energy. The vocals sound more like a wailing otter than any sort of screaming, and that's my main problem with it. He brought it live, so why does it feel so lame here? The police sirens and air raid sirens are really nice touches though. I would have had this same reaction if I had heard the live version first or not, honestly. This is mostly getting such a low rating due to how disappointed in it I was.

Tattooed in Reverse (2.5/5): Nothing overtly amazing, but a catchy tune. It feels like mostly filler though if I am to be honest. Like TPE but more electronics/synth. Very repetitive though. I would imagine this song had to be inspired by Blues Saraceno, cause it certainly reminds me of their style.

We Know How to Make a Shitty Music Video (1.5/5): Another track that sounded better live. I'm no audio expert, but the mixing here sounds so weird and off to me. Gonna be honest, I don't think "harder" stuff is Tyler's forte at all. Not a fan of the return to the drum machine either but meh. This track makes me think of Born Villain, and I wouldn't call that a good thing. I've said my piece on what I think about the music video. I recall Manson saying this was the first track they recorded and so was Birds of Hell Awaiting. Is it like a rule that the first track they record together is usually the worst? Terrible choice for a first single too, but it sounds like the typical Manson first single. Would have preferred Heaven Upside Down the song as the first single though.

SAY10 (3.5/5): Finally, the first track on this album that made me perk up a bit. The trap influence is awesome too. The mixing of the chorus sounds a bit muddier than the first snippet mix, however. It does get a bit repetitive if I am to be honest though and that really brings it down. This song ended up being better as a snippet than a full fledged song, but it's still good.

KILL4ME (3/5): It's pretty good...not great, but listenable. It definitely grew on me after the first listen and initial cringe at the title. Pretty much THEOL meets TPE with synth added. I like to imagine that the lyrics are completely facetious due to him ripping a line from Family Guy "sideways for attention, longways for reverse" cause they're a bit immature coming off of what I thought was going to be his new mature direction in TPE. As it's probably apparent, I welcome the return of synth. I have a feeling this will be the new Unkillable Monster for some people though but at least this song has competent song writing.

Saturnalia (5/5): This is where the album finally and really picks up for me. To me, this definitely feels like what he wanted to do with The Flowers of Evil, but actually seen through correctly. But for real though, enough with the spoken outro's already. That was something he started doing in excess with BV and it doesn't work for this song at all in my opinion. Not a deal breaker or anything however. Having trouble understanding the chorus though..I think it's "Just smile like a rifle, hot metal in the setting sun" but it sounds more like "raper" than "rifle". It's also Manson's first "epic" that actually feels like it goes somewhere musically.

Jesus CrISIS (4/5): The entire song structure makes me think of You and Me and the Devil Makes 3, I can't be the only one who hears that right? "I write songs to fight and to fuck too. If you want to fight then I'll fight you. If you want to fuck I'll fuck you. Make up your mind or I'll make it up for you." While similar to Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms' chorus "Wanna fight? Wanna fuck? Wanna die? Try your luck", this seems more threatening in nature. I've always though Goddamn Arms was about his inner struggle, this feels more like a question posed to others to me anyways. The breakdown and coming in with "I'm like a Jesus CrISIS and I'll make it up for you" is awesome and so is the chanting. Was unsure about this at first due to the song title, but it ended up being a favorite of mine.

Blood Honey (4.5/5): The atmosphere off this song is practically dripping....blood honey. This is another song that all I can think of is EAT ME, DRINK ME, so that's always a good thing. I do feel the lyrics repeat a bit too much, but everything else is exceptional and that makes up for it. "I'm dripping blood honey" is one of my favorite parts in the album, actually. I hope Manson uses more piano in the future, I think it very much suits his voice.

Heaven Upside Down (5/5): This is the track where I can admit to seeing some of the MA influence, it's definitely Bowie-esque. Does Manson love the film Candyman or something? Only thing I can think of to explain his affinity to bees, hah. His falsetto sounds absolutely fantastic here, at first I thought he had a female singing on the track, but I realized it was definitely him. This is definitely "epic" and the build to the screaming towards the end is wonderfully done.

Edit: apparently it was a female backup after all.

Threats of Romance (5/5): Were some of these tracks EAT ME, DRINK ME B-sides or something? lol. Definitely my favorite chorus on the album, and a great use of piano too. This sounds like it would go great with noir style footage. These last few songs are so wonderfully atmospheric, and I can definitely seem them being favorites of mine for years to come. My only complaint about this song is that little "clip" right at the last "I like you damaged". It's drives me nuts...how do you miss something like that?

Right as this album feels like it's really picking back up, it's over. I do think this album is too short and could have used at least two more songs. Why he felt the need to cut three from the initial SAY10 album, I'm not sure. It's not that I just want more of his songs (cause I do), I genuinely feel that this album really just needed more meat on it. Overall, I enjoy HUD. Not as much as I did TPE, but certainly more than BV and THEOL. I think a fair rating would be a 7/10. Still it's a definite departure from the "mature" Manson I thought came with TPE. Oh well.

Also, not a fan of the album cover. It needs some amount of color to differentiate itself from TPE and it doesn't fit the vibe of the album at all in my opinion. While I think some of these songs will go in his "worst catalog" I feel many will go in his "best" too. Hopefully down the line a deluxe edition is released and maybe I can bump the score up a bit, but that doesn't look likely. Still, in its present form, it's a solid record that's definitely worth a listen.

I’ve had a long while to listen to this record numerous of times, and I’m glad to say it has grown on me immensely.

But upon first hearing Revelation # 12, I was incredibly disappointed. The live version was so massive and powerful live that the studio version just sounded like a demo to me. It doesn’t pack as big of a punch. After listening to it more though, I don’t mind the song as much. I wish it packed a bigger punch like the live version does, but oh well. I can enjoy this one in a different way. I don’t skip it now. I’ve actually come to enjoy it greatly. I like that we got to hear a segment of the live intro for the new tour in the first few seconds of this song.

Tattooed In Reverse was a song that rubbed me the wrong way slightly upon first listen, but this one has also grown on me. It’s definitely become one of my favorites. It kind of reminds me of The Red Carpet Grave. I think it’s the synths. Manson’s voice in this one is full of passion in every line of this song. I especially love the “woahs” he screams throughout the track. It’s a pretty catchy song. So badass. Another favorite part of mine, looking back at it, is the humm that Manson does a couple times in the song, at both the 2:50 mark and again at the end of the track. So good.

I enjoyed the first single We Know Where You Fucking Live. I love how much there is going on in the song. There’s many layers that we don’t get to hear in the live version. Not to mention the chorus is bangin’ and features Manson’s best scream in a long while. It also flows with the album very well after Tattooed In Reverse.

Say10 was a song I was looking forward to hearing in full since we got that preview nearly a year ago. This may be one of my least favorite tracks. The first 90 seconds, with that trap beat I still love, is the best part of the song. After that, it’s repetitive and isn’t very interesting. It’s almost a chore to get through. The “Cocaine and Abel” bit warrants an eye roll from me every time.

Kill4Me is a good one, instant Third Day of A Seven Day Binge vibes. It’s incredibly catchy and I love the tongue-in-cheek lovey dovey mockery vibe it has going in the lyrics.

Saturnalia is a definite treat and sure makes me glad that we didn’t the album on Valentine’s Day, because if that were to happen, this song probably wouldn’t exist. This song is incredible. May be one of my new favorite Manson tracks. Highly atmospheric and gloomy. The chorus is catchy, and I ain’t even mad that the song is 8 minutes long. It goes by very quick, leaving me wanting more. It’s the Flowers of Evil of this album, and that’s not a bad thing. This song makes me think of a ride though the desert at night. Beautiful. I’d love a video for this one.

Je$us Cri$i$ is an interesting one for me. I don’t mind the instrumentation. I don’t mind Manson’s voice in this one even, except maybe when he repeats “Like a viper! Like a viper! Like a viper!” at the 1:33 mark. Its a little irritating. It’s mainly the way he screams “ Viper” to me. A little over the top, and not in a good way. The “I’m like a Jesus Crisis...” breakdown that begins at the 2:18 mark is pretty nice. And the wailing guitar that hits at that moment is so badass. I enjoy that. My main gripe with this track would be the chorus. The lyrics are bad, and I knew this song was going to be an issue for me when that review was leaked and said that the song included the lyrics “I write songs to fight and to fuck to...”. And the rest of the chorus ain’t any better. The rest of the lyrics are fine. I especially enjoy the “Snow White powder” bit. It’s fun. When listening to this track, I just like to block out the chorus in my head and to instead listen to the guitar in the background. It’s loads better that way, to me.

Blood Honey is a difficult one for me. I do enjoy the part when Manson sings “You only say that you want me when I’m upside down, upside down...”. His voice sounds shredded when he does this, but it works well with the feeling of the song. One of the main things that holds me back from liking this song is the lyrics. With the “My nose is like a beehive, I’m dripping Blood Honey...” and the now infamous “I’m not being mean, I’m just being meeeeeeee” bits, it’s hard for me to fully enjoy the song.

Heaven Upside Down was definitely a song that caught me off guard when listening to it for the first time. When Manson sings “I can hear the sound of trumpets...”, i remember wearing a look on confusion. It wasn’t what I was expecting to hear, but this track is one of my favorites off this album. It’s a sound I’d like Manson to explore more, as it suits his vocals very well. This is one of the only songs on this album where the lyrics don’t make me cringe. It’s a fantastic track. The chorus is catchy and Manson’s vocals are great. I love the “Ah ah ah ah ah ah” bit after the chorus with the female vocals next to Manson’s. It’s a pleasant surprise. Hope he does this one live.

Threats of Romance is a track that took me a little longer to enjoy but I got there eventually. The ending with Manson screaming “I like you damaged” is nice. I also particularly love the very first line of the song. The way Manson sings it is fabulous. I also love when he sings”My seed would have made new fruit and you could have been a tree. I could have cut you down or just let you be.” Such a beautiful moment. This song and Heaven Upside Down have a sound that suits Manson SO well.

Overall, what I can respect about this album is that it is all over the place musically. There’s many different kind of sounds on this record, and I find all of them interesting and enjoyable in their own way. That’s been one of the great things that I love about Manson. Throughout his career, with each release, you don’t necessarily know what he’s going to do next. It’s not a given. Some sounds on this record sparked a raised eyebrow from me. Not from distaste, but of surprise. The one thing that holds me back from really truly enjoying the album is the lyrics. This album features some of Manson’s worst lyrics he’s ever written, in my opinion. It leaves me wondering, “What the high school diary is going on?” Which is a shame, because The Pale Emperor had some decent lyrics. In my opinion, every Manson release has lyrics that warrant an eye roll but this particular release is a little more heavy with them. It ruins some of the songs that I would really enjoy otherwise, if the lyrics were better. Some examples are Say10, Blood Honey, and Je$u$ Cri$i$. But I kind of knew what I was getting into with the song titles alone.

As for the album cover, I don’t particularly mind it. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it’s a nice photo.

Heaven Upside Down is a bit of a mixed bag for me. Was the 7 month delay worth it? From what I know, probably, cause 2/3 songs he added in are some of my favorites. I think one half of the album is mostly mediocre and the other half is absolutely fantastic. However, I feel when it finally starts picking back up, it's over. While I thought The Pale Emperor was the perfect length, this is definitely too short. The usual Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals comparisons are made by Manson, but that's ludicrous. This is more like EAT ME, DRINK ME and The High End of Low with a dash of The Pale Emperor than those two. I was very surprised to see one review saying they thought the record peaked with SAY10, cause it's the opposite for me. Let's go through it song by song shall we.

Revelation #12 (1/5): Holy hell, what a letdown this was. I was expecting something monstrous and ferocious, and...well it missed the mark to say the least. The live version was the latter, but this was so tame and lacked any energy. The vocals sound more like a wailing otter than any sort of screaming, and that's my main problem with it. He brought it live, so why does it feel so lame here? The police sirens and air raid sirens are really nice touches though. I would have had this same reaction if I had heard the live version first or not, honestly. This is mostly getting such a low rating due to how disappointed in it I was.

Tattooed in Reverse (2.5/5): Nothing overtly amazing, but a catchy tune. It feels like mostly filler though if I am to be honest. Like TPE but more electronics/synth. Very repetitive though. I would imagine this song had to be inspired by Blues Saraceno, cause it certainly reminds me of their style.

We Know How to Make a Shitty Music Video (1.5/5): Another track that sounded better live. I'm no audio expert, but the mixing here sounds so weird and off to me. Gonna be honest, I don't think "harder" stuff is Tyler's forte at all. Not a fan of the return to the drum machine either but meh. This track makes me think of Born Villain, and I wouldn't call that a good thing. I've said my piece on what I think about the music video. I recall Manson saying this was the first track they recorded and so was Birds of Hell Awaiting. Is it like a rule that the first track they record together is usually the worst? Terrible choice for a first single too, but it sounds like the typical Manson first single. Would have preferred Heaven Upside Down the song as the first single though.

SAY10 (3.5/5): Finally, the first track on this album that made me perk up a bit. The trap influence is awesome too. The mixing of the chorus sounds a bit muddier than the first snippet mix, however. It does get a bit repetitive if I am to be honest though and that really brings it down. This song ended up being better as a snippet than a full fledged song, but it's still good.

KILL4ME (3/5): It's pretty good...not great, but listenable. It definitely grew on me after the first listen and initial cringe at the title. Pretty much THEOL meets TPE with synth added. I like to imagine that the lyrics are completely facetious due to him ripping a line from Family Guy "sideways for attention, longways for reverse" cause they're a bit immature coming off of what I thought was going to be his new mature direction in TPE. As it's probably apparent, I welcome the return of synth. I have a feeling this will be the new Unkillable Monster for some people though but at least this song has competent song writing.

Saturnalia (4.5/5): This is where the album finally and really picks up for me. To me, this definitely feels like what he wanted to do with The Flowers of Evil, but actually seen through correctly. But for real though, enough with the spoken outro's already. That was something he started doing in excess with BV and it doesn't work for this song at all in my opinion. Not a deal breaker or anything however. Having trouble understanding the chorus though..I think it's "Just smile like a rifle, hot metal in the setting sun" but it sounds more like "raper" than "rifle". It's also Manson's first "epic" that actually feels like it goes somewhere musically.

Jesus CrISIS (4/5): The entire song structure makes me think of You and Me and the Devil Makes 3, I can't be the only one who hears that right? "I write songs to fight and to fuck too. If you want to fight then I'll fight you. If you want to fuck I'll fuck you. Make up your mind or I'll make it up for you." While similar to Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms' chorus "Wanna fight? Wanna fuck? Wanna die? Try your luck", this seems more threatening in nature. I've always though Goddamn Arms was about his inner struggle, this feels more like a question posed to others to me anyways. The breakdown and coming in with "I'm like a Jesus CrISIS and I'll make it up for you" is awesome and so is the chanting. Was unsure about this at first due to the song title, but it ended up being a favorite of mine.

Blood Honey (4.5/5): The atmosphere off this song is practically dripping....blood honey. This is another song that all I can think of is EAT ME, DRINK ME, so that's always a good thing. I do feel the lyrics repeat a bit too much, but everything else is exceptional and that makes up for it. "I'm dripping blood honey" is one of my favorite parts in the album, actually. I hope Manson uses more piano in the future, I think it very much suits his voice.

Heaven Upside Down (5/5): This is the track where I can admit to seeing some of the MA influence, it's definitely Bowie-esque. Does Manson love the film Candyman or something? Only thing I can think of to explain his affinity to bees, hah. His falsetto sounds absolutely fantastic here, at first I thought he had a female singing on the track, but I realized it was definitely him. This is definitely "epic" and the build to the screaming towards the end is wonderfully done.

Threats of Romance (5/5): Were some of these tracks EAT ME, DRINK ME B-sides or something? lol. Definitely my favorite chorus on the album, and a great use of piano too. This sounds like it would go great with noir style footage. These last few songs are so wonderfully atmospheric, and I can definitely seem them being favorites of mine for years to come. My only complaint about this song is that little "clip" right at the last "I like you damaged". It's drives me nuts...how do you miss something like that?

Right as this album feels like it's really picking back up, it's over. I do think this album is too short and could have used at least two more songs. Why he felt the need to cut three from the initial SAY10 album, I'm not sure. It's not that I just want more of his songs (cause I do), I genuinely feel that this album really just needed more meat on it. Overall, I enjoy HUD. Not as much as I did TPE, but certainly more than BV and THEOL. I think a fair rating would be a 7/10. Still it's a definite departure from the "mature" Manson I thought came with TPE. Oh well.

Also, not a fan of the album cover. It needs some amount of color to differentiate itself from TPE and it doesn't fit the vibe of the album at all in my opinion. While I think some of these songs will go in his "worst catalog" I feel many will go in his "best" too. Hopefully down the line a deluxe edition is released and maybe I can bump the score up a bit, but that doesn't look likely. Still, in its present form, it's a solid record that's definitely worth a listen.

Boy you're picky lol. I agree with 85% of what you said, but that 15% was you saying "some are the worst in his catalog", thats bogus. But it's definite amoung my favorite MM albums. But idk if it beats TPE for me or not. But and "Worth a listen" isn't something to add to a review on a MM forum, it's not like people here are trying to decide whether to listen to it or not. Lol but I don't think Manson watches Family Guy. Also, a female singer was definitely used in Heaven Upside Down, it's really noticeable, maybe not on first listen. Last time he did that was... for Lamb Of God?

Memento Mori

You Pays Your Money, You Takes Your Choice.

619208 919 4514

-The Divine Trickster-

I Was Invited To Eat The YoungIt's A Poor Sort Of Memory That Only WorksBackwards.

oh yes finally!
I will not go into deep and review all songs just say that I love all off these 10 Songs (normaly i dont like all songs lol )
Only time will tell me if heaven upside down is better then album X or Y but after for me boring blues album I really enjoy that one for sure.

First time listening was a bit weird I dont know why but after sitting down and hear the songs + lyrics I really enjoy it

My only advise is hear that shit lout as fuck or u will miss a lot xD

Cant wait see Manson live again hope he play more than 2 Songs from the new album

I like two songs a lot, Heaven Upside Down and Threats of Romance.
But I still like the entire album better than TGAOG, POAAF, and BV. It may be almost equal with BV and THEOL. I like the music a lot in most of it and not so much the lyrics, subject matter and vocal delivery.

Iím disappointed in the 180 from The Pale Emperor, and just like that record this one is very uneven. The hip hop influence is cool. The countdown vocals on Revelation #12 could be pulled straight from a hardstyle song so thatís not great. Say10 is my favorite so far.

Well, as I've been listening to the album for about two weeks now (yeah, I downloaded the leaked version and yeah, I bought my physical copy a couple of hours ago), I can talk about it without that initial hype that makes you scream "OH MY FUCKING GOD IT'S THE BEST THING I'VE EVER LISTENED TO!!!!!!!!"

Like most of the people on this thread, the first time I listened to Revelation #12 i was like "... is that it? I mean... really?" Now i'm really digging it, though, but I still prefer the live version one hundred percent. Much more heavy and powerful. The studio version sounds like a modern Portrait of an American Family song - which is not bad at all.

Tattooed in Reverse is absolutely awesome. A wall of synths with a industrial-rap-goth vibe??? Fucking AMEN!

We Know Where You Fucking Live is dirty and chaotic. Great song, but it's not on my top 5.

The Almighty SAY10 is a hell of a tune (haha) and it makes me wanna commit crimes. No, but seriously, this song is so strong and powerful. I LOVE the riff and all the details on the guitar sound in it. Outstanding song.

KILL4ME IS SO CATCHY GODDAMN I CAN'T HELP IT!!!!!

Saturnalia. Jesus, Saturnalia. It's Manson's own version of Bela Lugosi's Dead. in a perfect world it would win an award of Song of the Year. My favourite, hands down.

JESUS CRI$I$ is a funny yet great song. I love the "high as a tower and ready to fall to the streeet LIKE A VIPER, LIKE A VIPER" part. And of course the breakdown, hahaha, so awesome.

Blood Honey is beautiful, sad and poweful. But there's something about the lyrics that bothers me. I still have to figure out what and why.

Heaven Upside Down... Man, what a FUCKING. BEAUTIFUL. AMAZING. OMFG. SONG. Saturnalia is my favourite but it's the lyrics of this one that I identify the most. "i don't attract what i want, i attract what i am, dead as the bees buzzing inside my head" ❤️

Threats of Romance is a great last track. Besides Misery Machine, is the only closing track that's not a sad song or whatever. I LOVE the piano and the guitar riffs.

Tyler did again an amazing job. He's the best thing that ever happened to this band since Twiggy's return in 2008. This guy is a beast, I love him and i am forever greateful for everything he's been doing, both live in studio. I'd love to have the opportunity to say this to him in person someday.
This album is very well produced; all the layers, all the guitar riffs, the synths, every little detail... he did a very fine and impressive job. The mix of guitar and acoustic guitar on the title track is absolutely beautiful. The bluesy glam vibe on KILL4ME is amazing too, it's like Third Day of a Seven Day Binge being released on Mechanical Animals.

Manson is amazing too. He sounds so confident here, it's beautiful. The lyrics are good too, as always. i'm sure that, wherever Hugh is right now, he's very proud :)

I love The Pale Emperor SO MUCH that I still can't say which one is the best, but that's a spetacular record, another on on Manson's catalogue.